Category Archives: Opinions
Mustard seed moments
I have a dear friend that is going through some serious health issues, and everyone who knows him are sending up a lot of prayers. He has a couple of text threads that include his family and friends and he sends out morning 
updates to let us know what’s happening and how he is doing.
He’s always been a meek person who would rather be in the shadows of a crowd instead of the limelight, so stepping forward and being the focus of attention is quite a stretch for him. He and his wife are some of the most generous and kind people I have ever
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Shining with the spirit of Christmas
I’ve written a lot of Christmas stories over the years. Most of the time, I’ve gone out in search of the spirit of Christmas in the most unlikely of places. Christmas among families separated by war. Christmas in the 
Greyhound station. Christmas among the homeless.
Even in the bleakest of circumstances, you can almost always find a saint, shining the light of Christmas in the darkness.
A few years ago, I was out on such a mission, driving through the poorest
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The Christmas story
“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, 
everyone to his own city.
“Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the
Path to better SC schools only starts with teacher pay raise
It’s one of those “duh” comments that seems painfully obvious once it’s said, but that holds a truth that we too often forget until it is said.
Great teachers, Gov. Henry McMaster said Tuesday in announcing his plan to raise S.C. teacher pay by $3,000 
next year, “don’t want to do it for the money.” But, he continued, “they can’t do it without the money.”
It’s essentially the same idea that too many people forget
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Wired or wireless?
Much of the time we want to embrace technology and whatever is the latest and greatest. When it comes to our electronic gadgets, sometimes the newest isn’t necessarily the best.
I suspected I was in trouble when my cable provider insisted on installing a new, fancy modem. Within hours, my computer, hooked up via Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity), was dragging and cutting out. After multiple phone calls over
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Get a solid start on civilian life
Some of us had a hard time when we left the military. The civilian world is a different place, and we probably could have used some help. The Department of Veterans Affairs has hooked up with the Department of Defense 
and Homeland Security in a program called VA Solid Start. They intend to contact 200,000 of us three times during the first year we’re out.
Too many of us struggle with mental health concerns that first year, and newly separated veterans have a suicide rate that’s twice
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The wonder of life and leaves
Nearly all the leaves have fallen now, save a few motley stragglers that rustle in the breeze. I wish I knew how many of them fell on my hillside sliver of earth in Easley, but it must have been a few billion — or maybe a trillion.
I emailed a Clemson professor to try to get some estimate of the total biomass produced each year by the trees of Pickens County. I suspect he laughed off my request, or maybe he’s gone for the holidays, but I haven’t heard back.
But I’m not as interested in the statistics of leaf production as I am
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String up the lights, no matter the fight
Last year there was a problem when I put the lights on and around the Christmas tree. I started at the top and worked down. Unfortunately, once finished, I found that the bottom strand of lights had no plug, so they 
couldn’t be lit. So then I had to take them all down and start over in reverse. This was discouraging, but it’s important to never give up on matters like this.
It was not a disaster. It was an inconvenience. So we did what had to be done.
This year I remembered last year’s learning experience and
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Courier Letters to the Editor 12-18-19
Higher taxes and fire fees
Dear Editor,
Over the past year, county officials proposed and county council discussed a plan to radically change the structure of fire protection in Pickens County. For decades, we had 13 local fire districts with a chief and a local board for each district. Most districts charged only a fire fee on homes, and a few charged millage on all property.
Their plan is to abolish all the 13 fire boards, have one centralized board, the county to take ownership of all fire equipment and charge a 30-mill fire tax on all property. The benefits they cite are centralized management, streamline operations, build a comprehensive capital plan, more manpower and better training. They also say it will save money, but looking at the proposal, that is not true and they need to be upfront and honest with the
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The week before Christmas at our house
Twas the week before Christmas, and I was alone
My wife, credit cards and money all gone.
Gwinnett, Lenox and Perimeter Mall;
She’d gassed up the car, and visited them all.
Her eyes, how they twinkled, her nose like a hound
Her laughter grew shrill, as the bargains she found.
As I sat, in the La-Z-Boy, watching TV;
Commercials and re-runs were all I could see.
The clock on the wall pointed to 10,
When I thought I heard my sweet wife come in.
As I shook the cobwebs from my sleepy head,
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